Key occasions
35 min: Shaw will get her head to the nook and a foul is given for a problem on Yamashita.
34 min: Smith and Foord each hearth crosses into the Metropolis field as Arsenal attempt to flip the screw. They've a nook …
31 min: Shaw is launched in behind the Arsenal defence however Van Domselaar is there to slip in and clear the ball. There's positively area in behind the Gunners' excessive line.
30 min: Yamashita is named into motion as Pelova feeds Foord and the Australian's shot is parried by the Metropolis goalkeeper. The flag goes up anyway.
28 min: Metropolis go shut once more! Fujino's cross is met on the again publish by Miedema, whose header is saved by Van Domselaar. Clinton can't power the rebound in both.
26 min: Metropolis hit the bar! Van Domselaar scrambles to bat away a nook from beneath her personal crossbar and the ball bounces off the highest of the woodwork and drops safely behind.
Tom Garry
It's been a poor recreation to date. Each groups' passing ranges have appeared a bit off, and neither goalkeeper has been made to sweat. In comparison with final evening, after we have been handled to end-to-end soccer between the highest two, Manchester United and Chelsea, this one hasn't come to life fairly but.
23 min: Little is discovering pockets of area within the Arsenal midfield however monitoring Miedema is proving a more durable process. Her former teammate ghosts in behind her and drags a shot large from fairly a means out.
21 min: Arsenal beat Metropolis's press actually successfully as Pelova finds Caldentey however the latter's cross drifts behind for a goal-kick.
20 min: Greenwood's nook is deep, Shaw will get on the tip of it however her header is large.
19 min: Miedema finds Fujino on the sting of the field however Catley is there to dam the shot. Nook to Metropolis …
18 min: Metropolis have had extra of the ball general however Arsenal look far more harmful across the penalty space.
16 min: Smith, a bit shaken however smiling with the physios, is again on after receiving remedy.
15 min: Slegers is asking her wingers to push excessive and large. Smith goes to shut down Ouahabi by the touchline and will get a whack because the left-back clears the ball. The medical workers are on.
12 min: Smith has one other go at driving on the Metropolis defence. Foord does the identical from the opposite wing and Casparij takes a danger with a sliding deal with that takes neither ball or participant.
10 min: Fox does effectively to place a cease to a Metropolis breakaway by conserving tempo with Clinton and profitable the ball again. Shaw had dropped deep to attempt to pull the strings.
8 min: Smith tries to search out Russo with a low cross however Yamashita cuts it out. Shaw then has a pop from distance on the different finish for Metropolis however finds an Arsenal physique in the way in which. Vigorous begin!
7 min: Russo causes issues down the Metropolis left and Casparij clatters into Smith on the sting of the world. Slegers is asking for a free-kick and maybe a bit of extra however the referee isn't forthcoming.
5 min: Fujino snatches at Metropolis's first probability, making little or no contact with a volley because the ball dropped out of the sky.
3 min: Arsenal handle the primary shot at aim as Caldentey's effort from the sting of the field is safely gathered by Yamashita.
2 min: No aim within the first minute this time as Arsenal take a look at Metropolis's potential to play out from the again.
Tom Garry
When these groups met right here on this floor final season, it was fairly merely a WSL traditional. They served up a seven-goal thriller, and Mariona Caldentey had Arsenal in entrance inside the primary minute, earlier than they went on to win 4-3. Something comparable immediately and we're in for a deal with.
Kick-off
After the gamers collect collectively within the centre circle for a second of unity, the ball is rolling on the Joie Stadium. The rain within the air and on the bottom ought to make for some slick soccer and possibly (hopefully) just a few fascinating challenges.
Each groups will observe a minute's silence earlier than kick-off immediately as a mark of respect to the victims of the assault on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday. Gamers are additionally sporting black armbands with the message ‘A Metropolis United'.
Manchester Metropolis's males's crew may even maintain a minute's silence at Brentford tomorrow, with Manchester United's males doing the identical at residence to Sunderland this afternoon.
Vivianne Miedema is one other taking over her outdated employers immediately. She has discovered the online in each WSL fixtures towards Arsenal since leaving them for Man Metropolis in the beginning of final season.
Arsenal will once more have a job conserving her quiet immediately – she's scored in every of her final three video games in all competitions.
Her document at Arsenal reads:
172 video games
125 targets
4 trophies
Tom Garry
The circumstances are, frankly, atrocious. The rain is relentless and the wind will likely be an element too. There are followers in ponchos, some with umbrellas flipping inside out and a few followers who underestimated the energy of the storm are actually regretting sporting their light-weight summer time jacket.
Tom Garry will likely be checking in from the Joie Stadium in just a few moments – he was additionally at Leigh final evening to look at Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea.
Sonia Bompastor's WSL champions dropped factors for the primary time this season after Anna Sandberg's luxurious equaliser. Right here's his report:
Andrée Jeglertz and Renée Slegers are acquainted foes on the touchline. From 2021 to 2023, Jeglertz's Linköping confronted Slegers's Rosengård seven instances in Swedish soccer.
Slegers had the measure of Jeglertz most of the time, profitable 5 instances and dropping simply as soon as in all competitions. Her Rosengård facet have been Swedish champions in 2021 and 2022:
I believe particularly that yr I used to be teaching in Sweden at Rosengård, what he did with the Linköping crew was spectacular. In the event you take a look at the gamers that they had and the sources that they had and the soccer they performed, it was actually, actually good and I've at all times had relationship with Andrée. I believe he's an ideal man and coach.
Chloe Kelly has to make do with a spot on the bench for the third recreation in a row. Her exit from Manchester Metropolis – initially on mortgage in January – got here with some parting photographs as she accused the membership of getting “known as reporters to assassinate my character and tried to plant damaging tales about me”.
Renée Slegers has been talking about Kelly's return to her former membership and the strain that comes with it:
I believe Chloe has gone by way of a whole lot of issues in her soccer profession. She's now representing us and we're very happy with that. I believe she'll discover the best ranges. I believe that's particular with Chloe, that she has hearth inside her. When she makes use of it in the best means, which she's been doing, it creates a lot for herself and for the crew.
We've performed some high-pressure video games with Arsenal final season. She's proven such facet of herself with grittiness, resilience, but additionally composure and I'm actually impressed with that.
Group information
As promised, listed below are the confirmed beginning lineups:
Man Metropolis (4-3-3): Yamashita; Casparij, Rose, Greenwood, Ouahabi; Clinton, Hasegawa, Blindkilde Brown; Fujino, Shaw, Miedema.
Subs: Keating, Layzell, Coombs, Wienroither, Lohmann, Beney, Prior, Thomas, Adedini.
Andrée Jeglertz makes only one change as Jade Rose is available in for Gracie Prior after Metropolis's 4-1 win towards London Metropolis Lionesses final weekend.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe; Little, Caldentey; Pelova, Smith, Foord; Russo.
Subs: Zinsberger, Reid, Codina, Hinds, Cooney-Cross, Maanum, Mead, Kelly, Blackstenius.
Renée Slegers makes three alterations to her XI that drew 1-1 with Aston Villa as Lotte Wubben-Moy replaces Katie Reid at centre-back. Victoria Pelova and Caitlin Foord begin on the wing as Frida Maanum and Beth Mead drop to the bench.
Preamble
Hi there and welcome to Saturday's lunchtime kick-off within the WSL, as Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal do battle at a moist and windy Joie Stadium. This fixture produced seven targets in February, with the Gunners on the best facet of a 4-3 scoreline, so strap in for hopefully extra of the identical (properly jinxed, I believe).
At this time's hosts come into this one off the again of three straight wins after their opening-night defeat to Chelsea, whereas the European champions stay unbeaten this season however have drawn their previous two video games. Chloe Kelly is again, it's Miedema v Mead, and Storm Amy is wreaking havoc – there are speaking factors aplenty in Manchester.
You will get in contact along with your feedback and questions utilizing this e mail.
The motion will get underneath means at 12pm (BST) and the crew information will likely be alongside very shortly certainly.
